Keyhole guard for locks



Sept 13, 1932- G. B. EHRMANN 1,876,646

KEYHOLE GUARD FOR LocKs Filed May 28, 1928 MLM/@M4 Patented Sept. 13, 1932 UNITED @wenn termen .ron ILomas and such an embodiment of .'thefinvention is illustrated, in the accompanying ldrawingand will be hereinafter described in some'V detail. It is 'frequently desirable, oWingfto' the. death of the renter, litigation,orother' causes, lto temporarilyl seafl safe deposit vboxes. The common -practiceisto apply ltol vsuch a boX an auxiliary lock, generally in the form vvotra small pad lock, but such means is 'unsightly and Yalso somewhat diliicult 'to attach and .remove. 'According rton the present invention, means areprovi'ded 'fors'ealing suchboXes', vor

preventing Y the operationtof the Ylo''ck-thereof which will be entirely concealedland which can only be removed ,byuse of `a 'particular and special form of implement. 'ln the accompanying drawing: Figure 1 isaitopview,p'artly=broken away, of a lock lsuch 'as commonlyprovided on safe deposit'boXes, having an embodiment of the invention insertedthjerein. ,n i

Figure Q is aperspetive vview illustrating one manner of withdrawing-the yIillingi'lf-ilock from the lock. Y p v ,1

Figure?) is a view ofthe filling-block, de tached, onanenlarged scale,.one ofthej side 35 walls being removed, andthe locking parts shown in normal position.

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 3 show-- ing the position of the locking dog when the implement for withdrawing the block from V140 the lock is inserted therein.

Figure 5 is an elevation of the outer end of the illing block. Y

Figure 6 is a section substantially on the line 6 6 of Figure 3.

Figure 7 illustrates a slightly modiiied form of the invention.

Figure 8 is a section view substantially on the line 8 8 of Figure 7. v Y

Referring to the drawing, in the several figures of which like reference characters desig-nate Vcorresponding par-ts,v `l indicates 4the lcasing ota loclrsuc'h as commonlyem-ployed Yforsafe depositiboxes, the sameincluding a tubular neckiQthat extends throughithe Afront wall ofthe door of such a box and a keyfwa'y 55 '3 to receive Ythe preparing and individual l'keys commonly required to v'actuate locks of the ch aracter referred'to.

Asf-the present inventionis adaptedfor use vwith`-locks 'of various characters, it hasnot 60 been thought necessary to illustrate in detail "any othe interior mechanism, and'to'be sufcient to merely vstate that the embodiment of the "invention V illustrated includes a vfilling `f lolock Vel' which Ais yof such dimensions -tliat fitv :can be received 'in *the key-way fbefore' re- Iferred to, g and as shown in Figure 1, when jin 'operative positionk isV entirely within ,thej body of the' .lock and outof sight. i

,The illingvblockY 4 is preferably made of im two pieces Vconnected l-by suitableJ rivets Ito provide an interiorchamber within whichis [pivotally mounteda ldog@ whichzis adapted fto'lrook'about its pivotlthrough a slot inthe ,u 'edgeof theblockl. lAspring 7attached to thebloknnd{bealnsuponthetal ofthe-.deg 6, normally maintainsmhemdog in Qthelpositionshown in Figures A1 ,andx where t ,trward fendfproj ects y.from the Ablock I:be- .so hindfa port-ion oftheffront ,Wall of thelo'ck easing ,l ,so .that .the block, after being sented in thelok, Cannotbe ,wthdreuumtil thedog has g been g positively ymoved V.,tov'sfhift the Belsmall-rprojettingportenthereefnto as the interior chamber "of the block. f ,n

,-Itwilltbeseenthat no special means isre- -quredtoiinsert the block-ft ntofthe leek 24S the inclined Etffwfor edeeef the Projecting portion 'ofthevdegtvllbemoved, into alignsa ,mentwith' the edge `Ot .the block by contest with fthe wall et the ne@ .2 ef fthe. leek and esteem asrthebleekhas een insertedinthe look @wif-the desired distance, .eadf dos will automatically return to tsvfnermalLPQsi-ton 196 shownin Eguresil; and- ;3, and efectuallypre- ',vent 4#the block from fbeng withdrawn until the d ogfisrocked'tofinoperatvefpositon.

. Marion-s :means maybe provided 1for 4rockirrgithefdog from operativegpositionyto 4permit of the block being withdrawn. In the drawing two different forms of means for this purpose are illustrated.

In the form shown in Figure 2, the block 4 is made of metal or provided at its outer end with a suitable portion of metal and a withdrawing implement is provided having a magnetic section 10 adapted to be inserted in the outer end of the key-way 3 and by magnetic action connect the block therewith so that the block can be withdrawn when the latch 6 is rendered inoperative. For this purpose the implement referred to is provided with an elongated pin 11 adapted to be inserted into the chamber in the block, through the passage 9 thereof that opens through the outer end of the block, so as to engage the tail of the dog 6 and rock the same into inoperative position as shown in Figure 4.

Vhen the dog has thus been rendered inoperative, and the outer end of the block is held by magnetic action to the magnet section 10, it will be seen that the block can be readily withdrawn from the lock with the magnet member.

Ihe magnet section 10 may be a permanent magnet, or as shown in Figure 2, may be' an electro-magnet being attached to a core eX- tending into a suitable casing 12 within which is arranged an electric coil 13 and a` battery or dry cell 14. By manipulating a push buttonll carried by the casing 12 the magnet section 10 can be rendered operative at will.

As shown in Figure 5, the passage 9 leading from the chamber in the filling block Vthrough thev outer end of the block is preferably made of substantially triangular form in cross section, and the pin 11 is of similar form, the relatively sharp edge thereof making the desired contact with the tail of the dog 6 when inserted in the iilling block, as shown in Figure 1.

Instead of using a magnetic means for withdrawing the filling block from the lock, various forms of mechanical means may be employed. A more or less conventional illustration of means of this character is shown in Figures 7 and 8 in which the implement or tool 16 for rendering the dog 6 inoperative and withdrawing the filling block is provided with a pin 17 that is of such diameter that it will operate on'the tail of the latch to withdraw the same into the chamber in the block when said pin is fully inserted therein. Near its free end the pin is provided with a slightly reduced section 18 in which the tail end ofthe dog will be received when the tool isfully inserted into the position shown in Figure 7. Such an arrangement will act to maintain the dog in inoperative position within the filling block, and by an outward pull on the handle 16 the filling block may be bodily withdrawn from the lock. When withdrawn a slight relative rotary movement between the plug and the pin will permit these parts to be disengaged and the latch or locking dog to be restored to its normal position by the spring 7 If desired, the pin 17 may be extended throughout the length of the member 16, and provided at its outer end with a head by which it can be rotated when withdrawn from the lock. y

While, as before described, it is preferred to provide the filling block 4 with a retaining means, such as the dog 6, such dog might be omitted, and the iilling block merely made of magnetizable material of such form and dimensions as to be inserted in the keyway, and when in position, entirely concealed, said block being withdrawn from the keyway by a suitable magnetic means, as described.

It is believed that the operation and advantages of the invention will be readily appreciated from the foregoing description in connection with the drawing.

It is to be understood, of course, that in the drawing, several of the parts are shown more or less conventionally, and there can of course be considerable variation in details without departing from the invention.

The invention provides a very simple and effect-ive key hole guard for locks which is entirely concealed when in use and can only be withdrawn by the use of a special implement.

I claim:

A means for the purpose described, comprising a pin-like member, a magnet at one end of the pin, and a filling block which is freely movable lengthwise of the pin, whereby it may be positioned in the key way of a lock by the pin, ,and provided with a pivotallyl mounted dog adapted to be automatically projected therefrom to constitute an abutment .preventing withdrawal of the block from the key Way when the pin is withdrawn and which dog is moved into nonprojecting relation to the block, as the pin is positioned in the block, prior to the magnet coming into operative relation to the block.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

GEORGE B. EHRMANN. 

